School act could be changed

State of affairs at schools in the country will take on a new dimension after the Department of Basic Education and Training devised a plan to curtail the powers of the School Governing Bodies in a move that raised eyebrows.

The new law governing schools will allegedly ensure that the decision to hire principals and senior teachers at schools, will lie with the department and not the parents of the school’s pupils, as is the case now. A green paper has been submitted to parliament for deliberations before parliament could vote it into law. The new legislation is expected to be passed into law by the president after it was deliberated.

National spokesperson for the department, Elijah Mhlanga, said the decision was reached after it was realised that giving powers to decide on appointments of senior teachers and headmasters resulted in crisis at many schools. He however added that the decision to change the law is not final as it still had to be discussed and voted for by the relevant committees in parliament.

The current law, titled the “South African School Act (SASA)” empowers parents through the School Governing Bodies to have powers to vote for the school budgets, appoint staff as well as to be involved in the day to day running of the schools. However Mhlanga denied that the new move will curtail the powers of parents when it comes to the administration at the schools.
— Monna Litaba
monna@bulletin.us.com